Chicken and Brie Quesadillas with Homemade Mango Chutney

Do you know what I love most in life? I love it when you’ve cooked a quesadilla or grilled cheese or really anything that has melted cheese involved, and a little bit of cheese falls out of the quesadilla or grilled cheese and directly onto the hot pan. The result? Crunchy, salty, brown and cheesy goodness. I know. It’s totally weird, but I absolutely love it. I love it so much in fact that I normally force some of the cheese to fall out of whatever vessel is carrying it. It’s soooo good, and it’s especially delicious when it happens with brie cheese. So imagine my excitement when this happened in this recipe for chicken and brie quesadillas with mango chutney. Yum. I still can’t stop thinking about it. I love the glorified sandwich that is the quesadilla. It makes life so much more exciting, and since I haven’t posted a recipe since this one from last November, I thought it was time.

When in doubt, make a quesadilla. Sometimes my creative juices run dry, and this doesn’t just involve recipes I create for Cooking and Beer. This occurs with my everyday breakfast, lunch and dinner too. I’ve been in kind of a rut lately. Where nothing tastes fantastic, I’m always hungry, but I don’t have an appetite for anything. I know it sounds strange, but it’s totally fact. It has to be because I am constantly surrounded by food. I eat food, cook food, bake food, look at food…and don’t even get me started on my involvement with Pinterest…aka: the enemy.

I think I read an article once where they were studying how constantly looking at websites like Pinterest and watching cooking shows ALL the time makes you think that you are hungrier than you actually are. This is totally true in my case. So true in fact, that I used to go to bed with my iPad and just pin recipes on Pinterest while I watched Cutthroat Kitchen or reruns of Top Chef. I’m what some might call a “pinaholic,” but when I started getting hungry at 11pm at night, I knew it was time to make a change. I stopped bring electronic devices to bed (except for my kindle) and the nighttime hunger went away.

So here we are, and I’m having a hard time coming up with new content. Don’t worry. This usually only lasts a couple of days. I think I need a day of no food involvement.

I’m not sad that these chicken and brie quesadillas with homemade mango chutney evolved from this rut though. Brie is one of my favorite cheeses. I love it and it saddens me that I have to take out a small loan every time I buy it, but I buy it anyway to Zach’s dismay. He hates brie…I know…I know…

What’s even better than brie by itself, is brie with something sweet. It is a known fact that brie goes so well with jams, fruit and a drizzle of honey. This is why mango chutney made it into this recipe. Mango chutney is super simple to make, so I highly recommend making it before buying it.

Recipes for both mango chutney and these chicken and brie quesadillas are below! Pair this meal with a pale ale and have a wonderful Thursday everyone! xo

In a medium saucepan, combine the sugars and vinegar. Stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a boil and then lower to a simmer. Add the mango, onion, raisins, garlic, ginger, crushed red pepper, cayenne pepper and whole mustard seeds. Continue to simmer for about an hour, or until thick and syrupy. Stir occasionally.

Store the chutney in airtight containers in the refrigerator or can the chutney if you wish.

Chicken and Brie Quesadillas

Preheat a griddle pan or large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add a tablespoon or so of butter, and melt. Spread mango chutney on one flour tortilla and place, dry side down, on the hot pan. Top with a a few slices of brie cheese, a handful of arugula, and a couple of tablespoons of chicken. Top with a couple more slices of brie cheese and place another flour tortilla that has mango chutney spread on it, on top. Press down. Flip the quesadilla carefully when the bottom is just a little brown, and cook for 2-3 minutes on the opposite side. Remove from heat, and repeat these steps 3 more times.

Cut into triangles and garnish with sour cream and cilantro. Serve with dipping sauces of choice and enjoy!

I could frame this. DAAAHH. I made grilled cheese last night and totally had some ooze onto the pan, one of life’s little perks right there. PS- Just booked my very first trip to CO this morning!! WAHOOO!

I’m with Zach on this one, brie is not my thing. Quesadillas though, love those and I definitely love mango chutney and have always wanted to try making it. Need to get on that! That crispy cheese is the best. I saw a sandwich on pinterest the other day that was an inside out grilled cheese so all the cheese was crispy. That sounded amazing to me. Still need to try it though!

I get like that as well, even though I have a notebook full of hundreds of recipe ideas, nothing sounds good. I think quesadillas are always a great idea, especially because the filling possibilites are endless!

This quesadilla looks perfect for those hungry nights! I use to do the same. Pin at night. I blame food blogging on my recent weight gain too. Darn it. I’m also in a rut. Food blogging and at home. I think we both need a vacay! Cancun sounds fun right about now, hehe. Totally making this asap. Pinned!